WUNC Music

Songs We Love is a series and a podcast that looks at the stories behind some of the songs we're playing on our music discovery stream, WUNC Music.

On this episode, Eric Hodge talks with John Howie Jr. about his first solo record 'Not Tonight.'

The album is full of songs of heartbreak and resilience delivered in Howie's distinctive baritone. He talks about how the album came to be, and what inspired him to record this one as a solo artist.

Listen to the episode here:

When Nathalie Joachim was studying flute at Julliard, Allison Loggins-Hull was pursuing her own love for the flute closeby at the State University of New York’s Purchase Conservatory of Music. Imagine two young African-American flutists both from the New York tri-state area who had never crossed paths until Myspace. 

Stuart McLamb had to make a big move to complete his new album under the moniker The Love Language. Baby Grand got its start in a warehouse in Virginia, but it was McLamb's move to the west coast that prompted a creative surge that completed the collection.  Each song inhabits its own universe and stands alone, but it also holds together as an expression of McLamb's creative vision.

The surprisingly hard rocking song "Eve's Daughter" is just one of the stand-out singles on Amanda Shires' new record To The Sunset. The singer-songwriter and fiddler wrote her fifth collection of songs while sharing child-care duties with her partner Jason Isbell.

The Be Loud Sophie Foundation will host its 5th anniversary show at the Cat's Cradle this weekend.  

The annual event raises money to benefit adolescent and young adult cancer patients at UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center in Chapel Hill. The foundation honors the memory of Sophie Steiner, a Chapel Hill teenager who died of cancer in 2013. It was founded by her parents Lucy and Niklaus Steiner.

After almost two decades with The Old Ceremony and other side projects like Au Pair and the traveling Big Star Tribute, Django Haskins has a new solo record.

Cowboy Junkies have been making music together for more than 30 years. 

Siblings Michael, Margo and Peter Timmins are once again joined by childhood friend Alan Anton for their first new recording is six years.  It's called All That Reckoning, and it reflects a more direct political stance from the band.

When he's not on the road playing in Hiss Golden Messenger or Phil Cook's Guitarheels, Ryan Gustafson lives in the mountains near Asheville. But he often hits the road on his own, taking in the sights and sounds of other cultures and other places. As he travels, he writes down some of his thoughts and puts them to song. The result is his third album as The Dead Tongues. The band will play from its new album in Carrboro this weekend.

Songs We Love is a series and a podcast that looks at the stories behind some of the songs we're playing on our new music discovery stream, WUNC Music.

This time, we're talking with James Felice of The Felice Brothers about 'Aerosol Ball,' the first track off of the band's latest record 'Life In The Dark.'

The band's lyrics are extremely literate, often invoking rich imagery of American history, but James says this song is just fun.

Listen to the episode here:

Songs We Love is a series and a podcast that looks at the stories behind some of the songs we're playing on our new music discovery stream, WUNC Music.

This time, Eric Hodge chats with Wye Oak's Jenn Wasner about the title track from their latest record, 'The Louder I Call, The Faster It Runs.'

She says the song has different meanings for different people, and that duality fueled her creative process.

Listen to the episode here:

Valerie June is known for her eclectic voice, energetic on-stage performance and soulful lyrics. She was born in Tennessee, raised in the church and got her start in the music biz by helping out her dad who promoted artists like Prince and Bobby Womack.

Songs We Love is a series and a podcast that looks at the stories behind some of the songs we're playing on our new music discovery stream, WUNC Music.

On this episode, Eric Hodge chats with Durham's Phil Cook about 'Miles Away,' the first single from his new album People Are My Drug.

Songs We Love is a series and a podcast that looks at the stories behind some of the songs we're playing on our new music discovery stream, WUNC Music.

This time, Eric Hodge chats with rock icon Robert Plant about the title track of his latest solo record, Carry Fire. It's a dramatic sounding song, and Plant says the idea for it began as a fragment of music he heard during a practice session.

Listen to the episode here:

Songs We Love is a series and a podcast that looks at the stories behind some of the songs we're playing on our new music discovery stream, WUNC Music.

On the latest episode, Eric Hodge chats with Mipso about "Edges Run," the title track off of the band's latest album. 

Libby Rodenbough says the hook for the song came first. She knew that the phrase 'Edges Run' could mean different things to different people, so she wanted to stay true to that theme with the rest of the lyrics.

The North Carolina band Mipso decamped to Oregon last winter to record the recently released Edges Run. 

A Texas woman filed a lawsuit Monday accusing R.Kelly of sexual battery and knowingly infecting her with herpes. This is the latest in a decades-long string of allegations against the R&B artist that detail an array of misconduct, including his repeatedly holding women against their will in a “sex cult.” Hollywood leaders recently renewed the #MuteRKelly movement to demand that companies who profit from his music cut ties.

Female and queer artists will make up a majority of the lineup at this year’s Moogfest in downtown Durham. It’s a roster that pushes back against the prominence of men as the creators, performers and promoters in the electronic music industry.

Jenn Wasner and Andy Stack have created and released their fifth album as Wye Oak. The band formed in Baltimore about 10 years ago. Now, the two are working in different geological corners with Wasner in Durham and Stack in Marfa, Texas.

The name of the record is The Louder I Call, The Faster It Runs. It's being hailed by many critics and fans as their finest yet.